Tag: families

So, at the end of 2012, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced they were expecting a child. Good for them.

But then the comments started; the lol tweets. See, Kanye is well known for his song “Gold Digger”, a song which cautions both men and women against getting involved with people who are only after their money. It includes the memorable line:

18 years, 18 years
She got one of your kids, got you for 18 years

And people remember that one line and put two and two together – Kim (somehow) tricked Kanye into getting her pregnant so that she could get her hands on his fortune – just like song!

Oh really?

Kanye West’s wealth is estimated at about $80 million; Kim Kardashian’s is about $40 million. Ok, so he’s worth twice as much as her, but $40 million ain’t loose change.

Kim’s first husband, pro basketballer Kris Humphries, has an estimate worth of just $8 million. And it’s unlikely either will get any of the other’s dosh when their divorce comes through – just like the advice dished out in “Gold Digger”, she was smart enough to get a prenup.

And Kim Kardashian doesn’t have $40 million from doing an Anna Nicole and marrying some elderly millionaire at death’s door. No, the self-made millionaire earned her money the same way her boyfriend earned his – through various deals in the entertainment industry. They both have their names branded all the way to the bank.

Kanye’s Lambo: he don’t go for no broke ladies

But just to show how much of a non-gold-digger Kim Kardashian is, she bought Kanye a $750,000 Lamborghini for his 35th birthday. Not many people can do that.

When people come out joking about Kim Kardashian being a gold-digger, it feels sexist. It’s saying that a woman can’t have a baby with a man who is worth more a lot more than she is without her having some sort of ulterior motive. They can’t just be a loved-up couple wanting to start a family. No, she’s trapping him with her uterus of doom, forcing him to pay child support for 18 years and maybe even making him be a father to his child (oh, the burden!).

And if this is what it’s like for a celebrity couple, what’s it like for ordinary people? Some friends of mine had a baby before they were married. The implication was that the girl had got pregnant to snare the guy. Except they’re still happily together and with more kids.

Yeah, occasionally there’s trickery out there – from both men and women. But most of the time people just really like each other and want to have babies together.